TikTok uninstalls surge 150% following 'terrifying' new terms of service
TikTok uninstalls have skyrocketed 150% after users learned of the apps new terms of service.
It's been over a year since TikTok went dark for a single day in the US. Back in December 2024, Trump urged the US Supreme Court to pause the looming ban, expressing hope that he could 'resolve the matter through political channels once he assumes office.'
Then 2025 arrived, bringing with it mounting pressure as deadlines approached for ByteDance to either sell the app to a non-Chinese owner or face a permanent US ban.
But in a surprising twist, President Trump moved to reverse the ban and push back the deadline on a number of occasions.
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More recently, TikTok faced accusations of censoring content related to Jeffrey Epstein after reports claimed that mentions of 'Epstein' are being blocked on the platform.
Now that TikTok announced its US operations would be managed through a new joint venture, users have been deleting the app, like there's no tomorrow.
Speaking to CNBC, market intelligence firm Sensor Tower reported that the daily average of US users uninstalling TikTok has jumped nearly 150% over the past five days compared to the previous three months.
Last Thursday, TikTok underwent new American leadership to keep the video-sharing platform running in the US which led to Adam Presser's promotion as CEO of the joint venture.
However, the ownership transitions haven't been all that clear. Users of the app are reportedly being prompted to accept a new privacy policy and updated TikTok Terms of Service that reference national security requirements and California's Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
Many users have turned to social media to voice their concerns.
"It's a data collection app disguised as social media," one person commented on the revised Terms of Service.
"The US took over TikTok this week and overnight it has become the most useless app on my phone how is that possible," another user remarked on X.
Several posts also highlighted the change in terminology in the new policy for the types of data TikTok may collect. Some of which requested sensitive information such as 'racial or ethnic origin' and 'sexual life or sexual orientation, status as transgender or nonbinary, citizenship or immigration status, or financial information.'
However, this isn't entirely new as an archived version of the policy from August 2024 includes the same provisions.
Tom's Guide drew attention to TikTok's sensitive data collection practices, noting that the Terms of Service confirm that the app can collect data on everything from gender identity to medical diagnoses.
But with all this, there's still a huge cloud of confusion among users and what the changes actually mean for them.
TikTok creator Nadya Okamoto, who has over 4 million followers, told CNBC: “That’s why there is so much paranoia, because we’re all kind of looking at this platform and we just don’t know what’s happening.”
In the meantime, rival apps like Skylight Social saw a 919% rise in US downloads and Chinese-owned Rednote climbed 53% week over week, Sensor Tower noted.